Kakigouri
by Peachie-Chan
Summary: All Akane Motomiya wanted was a quiet summer vacation, yet her plans for peace and tranqulity were all but shot to hell when an expressionless doll is left in her care. The taking care of part was simple enough...teaching him how to feel was another thing
1. Day 1: Just a Doll

Author's Notes: I'm sure that I'm not the only one to have noticed the lack of multi-chapter stories in the Harukanaru section of our beloved Fanfiction. I'm spreading out my interests from merely writing Rurouni Kenshin Fanfictions, but Harukanaru one's as well.

Support the writers writing Harukanaru fanfictions; we all seem to be starving for reviews!

(I apologize in advance to all those who like ran and may be offended by her bitchiness.)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harukanaru…or Yasuaki…aww snaps

Words to know: Kakigouri – Japanese shaved ice

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Kakigouri

By Peachie-Chan

Chapter 1: Day One – Just a Doll

"Please!!!" A pretty ebony-haired girl pleaded as she grabbed onto the hand of a short redheaded girl, who's emerald-green eyes looked away from the girl who had attached herself like a leech to her arm.

"No" she replied flatly.

"Why not?!" The persistent girl snapped angrily as she released her, hate and loathing quite evident in her cold brown eyes, glaring viciously at the red head who gently massaged her wrist and brushed whatever germs she could from her clothing. The pale skinned girl had a feeling that no matter how much she brushed off, washing her simple red and white striped tank top and blue jean shorts and cleansing them from evil would no doubt be necessary if she wished to wear this outfit again in the future.

"Ran-san…you don't even like me and have made my three years of high school a living hell with your nasty rumors, name calling, and numerous other things I won't waste my time adding to the list! Why pick me?! Did you decide that it suddenly was 'Mess with Akane's First Day of Vacation' Day?! This is probably one of your sick tricks and even if I were to think about your favor seriously, do you have any idea how psychotic your little 'favor' sounds?"

Eighteen year old Ran Morimura, daughter of some uber rich business mogul, beautiful with creamy white skin and always dressed like someone who had just walked off some fashion runway, had been the most foul being in existence to commonly normal Akane Motomiya. The ebony haired young woman had tormented her without end as if it made her feel superior to call her "Charity case," "Pauper," and "shmoo." (Yet Akane had yet to figure out the significance of the meaning of the last insult.)

Akane held great feelings of dislike for this girl who called her shmoo. Loathed her even more when earlier that day when she out at a convenience store attempting to purchase the dish soap her mother had asked her fore, had Akane found Ran spying on her from the magazine aisle.

When she left the store, Akane took notice that the infuriating girl dressed in a white flowing dress and giant brimmed white hat and tied up sandals was indeed following her. No matter where she escaped to…SHE was there. When Akane hid in the nearby shrine, there was Ran praying! In the shopping district? There she was gnawing on a cucumber! It was as if she had placed a tracking device on her and was hell bent on ruining her three precious weeks of summer vacation.

"I should record this conversation and use it as proof of your insanity."

Ran scowled and placed her hands on her hips.

"What's so crazy about it?"

Akane started laughing in disbelief and plastered a ditsy look on her face.

" 'Akane-chan I can call you that, right? Hee hee! My Papa bought me a doll, can you teach him how to feel?'" She mimicked as she twirled a strand of her cropped red hair before glancing back at Ran with a critical glance. "Has it ever occurred to you that a doll is an inanimate object?"

Akane smiled in delight at the silence that Ran was providing. Grabbing the plastic bag with soap that had fallen to her feet, she turned and began to walk towards home.

"Now please excuse me, but shmoo has to go"

Ran did not follow.

---

Kakigouri is a bowl of shaved ice flavored with the various syrups of one's choosing. Akane's green eyes looked down at the Styrofoam bowl with a scoop of ice flavored with her three favorite syrups. Blueberry, cherry, cream soda. She idly stirred the treat; she felt horrible. The kakigouri tasted bland today. Was it guilt? Surely it wasn't guilt at being rude towards Ran.

As she took a spoonful to her mouth, Akane realized what truly bothered her. What had Ran meant by 'doll?' No matter how devilish she was, certainly her father hadn't bought her some sort of sex slave…or slave in general.

"She probably doesn't even want to deal with the doll and is trying to pin it down on someone else. Though she could also be trying to find someone else because Ran knows very well that teaching someone about feelings like love and compassion is beyond her capability knowing."

"Kaki…gouri."

Akane glanced up at who had softly uttered the word from her spot on the she currently sat on in the park. What she saw caused Akane's grip on her cup to slacken.

"Kakigouri" the young man repeated.

Akane's mouth dropped slightly in awe as her bottom lip began to quiver.

He appeared older than those young men at her school, leaving Akane to assume that this young man was no older than twenty-one. What really threw Akane off was that he was so good looking that he was almost to the point of being beautiful. He had lovely green hair that probably fell to his low back, yet he had neatly arranged it in a bun on the side of his head, leaving a small portion free. For such a humid afternoon, he was certainly dressed strangely in a rather thick-looking black yukata. One would generally assume that his most bizarre feature would be his dual-colored eyes; one amazing amber, the other a deep forest green. This was all easily overlooked by the fact that half of his cream-colored face was a mysterious shade of gray.

Was it a skin condition?

An infectious disease?

Even though he was a complete and utter stranger who looked down at his kakigouri with a blank expression, something about this man sparked interest within Akane, resulting in her asking him a very stupid question.

"What flavor did you get?"

From his position a few feet away from the bench, the man's eyes widened ever so slightly at having heard someone addressing him. He turned his attention towards the girl who had spoken, his face as expressionless as a blank slate.

"Lemon."

"Juria!"

Oh god no.

Akane felt herself slouching over as not to be recognized by the black haired girl who was no doubt running towards them, followed by a procession consisting of her butler and driver. For two hours, Akane had assumed that she had outrun her.

'If I pretend I'm not here, she won't see me.'

Ran smirked at Akane's slouched figure as she approached the two, signaling the two men to remain at a safe distance away. Akane slowly sat up straight seeing as she could no longer ignore the girl, eyeing the cardboard box in the butler's arms.

"I see you've met Juria, Akane."

Akane stiffened and felt herself gritting her teeth in frustration at her failure at successfully disappearing. Ran had somehow planned the meeting; she had to have planned it. It had to have been the moment she caught hold of her hand that she planted a tracking device on her arm. That at least the theory she was sticking to.

"So I have"

Ran came closer till she was a few mere millimeters away from the doll named Juria, her hand trailing slowly along his pale cheek in a rather suggestive manner that quite frankly made Akane want to vomit. Yet Juria had no inkling of disgust on his face, something that brought much concern to Akane. All he did was keep his eyes fixed on Ran.

"As you can clearly tell Akane, Juria was born with no feelings whatsoever. He is therefore not a human, just a doll created by man."

Akane leaned back comfortably against the bench and let out a snort as she gazed up at Ran with mild interest.

"I can't figure out what you are more pissed about, the fact that Juria isn't affected by your feminine willies, or the fact that your just bitter that your father brought you a boy doll when judging by the name you gave him, you wanted a girl."

"I find Juria to be a beautiful name" Ran replied hotly as she roughly grabbed Juria's wrist and practically dragged the poor man with her towards her two escorts.

Akane's eyes widened slightly as his eyes wandered over towards her for the briefest of moments. Guilt swept over her like a wave on the ocean. How could she even begin to think of leaving that man in the tyrannical hands of Ran, who would no doubt secure him a future of having as many emotions as a rock? If Juria truly were a doll, he'd be forced to remain by Ran's side for days on end. Even expressionless Juria did not deserve such a bleak future.

"Wait!" Akane found herself calling out, knowing very well that she had been ensnared in Ran's plan when she caught a glimpse of her smirk as she paused, a victorious look in the eyes.

"Yes Akane-chan?"

"Let's say I do accept this…what's in it for me?"

"I'll pay you."

"How much?"

"You got a teacher for Juria."

"Excellent! Now I can go to Okinawa without having to drag silent man with me," Ran sighed with relief as she pushed the doll in the red head's direction.

Akane found herself scowling in displeasure at Ran as she gently took hold of his hand.

"What do you mean Okinawa?!" Akane asked loudly as she stood up. "I thought that this was a teaching-thing, not a pet-sitting service!"

Hailing her butler over, Ran giggled lightly as the man approached them with the cardboard box.

"You think I want him on my vacation? Ha, that's a laugh! My mother invited me to come to the beach house and he's the last thing I want to worry about, so I might as well pay someone to take care of him and break the seal while they're at it!"

The butler finally reached them Akane and unceremoniously dropped the box at her feet before making his way back towards the driver.

"Wah?! Seal?"

"That's right, I have no use for Juria until the seal on him has been broken."

Akane was dumbfounded as Ran laughed in delight at the look of confusion on her face as she ran off to reunite with her attendants.

"Have a nice vacation, Akane-chan"

And then she was gone, leaving redheaded Akane in such a state of shock that at some point in time, her fingers had slackened so much on her kakigouri that it fell to the ground, nearly hitting Juria's box of belongings and making a sort of mush sound.

Juria's eyes rested on the spot where Ran had stood a moment before, gently removing his hand from Akane's.

"I do not like that girl" he said flatly.

Akane slowly looked up at him, still in a state of shock.

"Why's that?"

"It's either her way or nothing."

The third year high school student in reality wanted to listen to Juria's complaints, yet the one thought that kept plaguing her mind was how she was going to tell her mother when she showed up at home with someone she claimed to be a doll at home and brought up the point that said doll needed to stay for three weeks. No doubt she would be grounded for even suggesting it.

Akane bent down slightly and lifted up the rather light box and cautiously looked inside. From what it looked like, there were only three articles of clothing in the box, each more bizarre than the other. A simple white sleeping yukata, a half-white half-black yukata, and an identical yukata to that one except with a large yin and yang sign printed on it. Looking up, Akane flushed slightly at having pried into Juria's personal belongings…but it brought an interesting question to mind.

Just what kind of doll was he?

"Well…I guess I'll just take you home then…"

Without warning, he skillfully removed the box from her hands and began to follow the path through the park that would lead to the street, leaving Akane to hold his kakigouri for him.

"W-wait! Juria-san!"

Juria stopped and waited patiently for Akane to reach him before starting once again and kept moving until they reached the end of the park, he stopped as if waiting for her to tell him the next direction.

"It's fine! I can carry the box, Juria-san!"

"Mondai nai" he responded as he allowed Akane to lead the way across the street down a residential block.

'Not a problem?!' Akane felt her head begin to ache as she played through her mind all the problems of the current situation. Slowing down to walk side by side with the man, Akane smiled up at him and felt she could at least attempt to solve one problem. Juria only looked back at her to show he was paying attention to her.

"Does Juria-san not like his name?"

Immediately the man nodded.

"Yet it is the name my mistress gave me, therefore I cannot complain."

"But it bothers you?"

"No."

"But you don't like it?"

He nodded.

"Can I try at coming up with a better name for you?"

"If you wish."

Akane thought carefully for the next few minutes as they walked several blocks and still she had not thought of a name that would properly suit him. She slowly came to a halt in front of her modest home and felt the panic begin to eat away at her gut. What was she going to tell her mother? How could she introduce him without resorting to calling him 'Doll-san?' May a glimpse into his history would aid Akane…

"Seeing as I can't come up with a name on my own, why don't you tell me about yourself? Surely you had a life before Ran!" She suggested enthusiastically.

"I am the creation of a great onmyoji named Abe no Seimei. I was given the name Abe no Yasuaki and was created because no human fitted master's requirements to be his apprentice. No one in this country can surpass me in my skills except my master. I had been content with my life in my Master's manor in Kyoto…I was called away to a shrine to perform an exorcism in a shrine near by and that was when my mistress saw me. She consulted my master and asked if she could purchase the beautiful doll that she had seen. Abe no Seimei thought my mistress would be the person who could give me what I am lacking, but…"

Akane was in awe, and not because of the mention of an onmyoji, which she had learned that that particular type of priest no longer existed. The doll correctly named Abe no Yasuaki seemed like a man of few words, yet he was now correcting every wrong that he could about himself with the given opportunity. Sensing that this was a rare occurrence, Akane remained silent and smiled in keen interest.

"But?"

"I knew my master was sorely mistake the moment she found out I was a man and made me sleep in a closet."

A closet?

"A closet?"

Yasuaki nodded as he leaned against the wall that kept Akane's home and small front garden separated from the other houses.

"Please allow me to address you by your proper name, Yasuaki-san!"

He nodded in gratitude.

Akane carefully studied Yasuaki's lean frame and wondered if she should dare ask the question that would no doubt open a can of worms. Already Ran forced him to sleep in a closet, who knows what more torture she may have put him through.

"Did Ran feed you at all?" She asked slowly, clearly more cautious than her previous question.

"According to my mistress, dolls do not need to eat."

Akane resisted the urge to scream at the newly presented information, choosing to grab Yasuaki and lead him towards her house instead. Up the three steps and onto the small landing, she cursed under her breath as she sifted through her pockets in search for the keys. Yasuaki watched her hands with mild interest as they shook so badly that she dropped the keys nearly four times before being able to successfully open the door and drag him in with her.

"Yasuaki-san must be starving!" Akane cried as she slammed the door closed behind them, quickly kicking off her black flip-flops and donned her designated slippers.

"Mondai nai" Yasuaki replied as he carefully removed his black boots and arranged them neatly by the other shoes. Akane handed him a pair of slippers for him, slightly irked at how he took his time and never let go of his box of belongings, never once acting like he was hungry.

Quickly shaking her head, Akane struggled to pry the small container of kakigouri open as she led Yasuaki into the kitchen. She sat him down at the kitchen table and slammed the frozen treat in front of him as he gently set his box on the floor beside his seat. The green-haired young man watch as the teenage-girl angrily scooped a large portion onto the tiny plastic yellow spoon and to his surprise, forced it into his mouth. The sudden action brought the first reaction Akane ever saw on the doll's face. Surprise.

His eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Not a problem? Not a problem?! Starvation is a BIG problem Yasuaki-san! Please just sit here and eat that!" Akane cried as her eyes darted around the kitchen in search of the most filling thing she could feed her guest.

"Akane? Are you home?"

The teenage girl swore under her breath as several bowls of instant ramen fell on her head after having opened a high cupboard door.

"Yes! I came back earlier than expected!" She called as she stood on the tips of her toes and forced some of the ramen back on the shelf, leaving one behind on the counter.

Yasuaki was surprised to find that what he had been fed had been strangely refreshing and cooled him down considerably, resulting in him indulging in more spoonfuls of the shaved ice. After several more spoonfuls, his expressionless returned once more as he focused his attention on the small container, rather than towards the middle age woman now entering the kitchen.

"Who's your friend, Akane?" The redheaded woman smiled kindly at Yasuaki as he looked up at her, having finished the kakigouri and now busied himself with sucking silently on the small plastic spoon.

Akane, who was busy pouring boiling water into the cup of ramen, nearly screamed and dropped the teapot at the sound of her mother's voice. Looking over her shoulder, she offered her mother a shaky smile.

"Ah! Mom! This is Yasuaki-san!"

"Hello there Yasuaki-kun. I'm Shizuka Motomiya, Akane's mother" Shizuka smiled as she introduced herself.

A moment of awkward silence passed as the doll stared blankly at the older woman, causing Akane to panic silently at his lack of motion.

'Say something Yasuaki!'

Carefully removing the spoon from his lips and discarded it into the empty container, Yasuaki finally bowed his head in acknowledgement, much to the younger girl's relief.

"Good afternoon, Motomiya-san."

Shizuka smiled in delight and turned toward her daughter, nodding in approval before turning back towards Yasuaki. Akane suddenly found herself worrying over that look. It was true that she had never brought a boy home…but surely her mother didn't assume this boy was a potential boyfriend! Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, Akane quickly rushed over towards the table and laid them in front of Yasuaki as she grabbed the finished kakigouri.

"So how do you know Akane-chan?" Shizuka asked gleefully at the beautiful boy who sat at her kitchen table.

Akane nearly tripped over herself on her way to the trashcan.

"My mistress introduced me to Motomiya and told me that she would take care of me while my mistress is away on vacation" Yasuaki replied plainly as he reached out for the chopsticks and split them in half. "Thank you for the meal"

Shizuka was positively baffled by the young man's explanation. She unsurely looked over towards Akane, who looked as if she lost all feeling in her legs and was now using the counter to support herself.

"Mistress?" The older woman squeaked out.

"Uh…uh…Yasuaki-san is a monk!"

"Onmyoji" Yasuaki corrected as he slurped his ramen.

Akane's face flushed in embarrassment as she looked up at her mother with a pleading look.

"Yasuaki-san is from Kyoto and a psychotic classmate of mine has enslaved him for who knows how long and hasn't fed him and forced him to sleep in a closet!" Akane rambled, hoping this would be enough to convince her mother into allowing him stay.

Shizuko's green eyes scanned Yasuaki intently as he paid no mind to her and continued eating his ramen, not concerned at how the woman was looking down at his box and tugging lightly on his sleeve to test the thickness.

"If he's the result of such abuse…I want to sleep in a closet as well!" Shizuko commented as she affectionately patted the onmyoji's hand. "And who treated you so badly?"

"Ran Morimura. She tricked me into taking care of Yasuaki-san while she's on vacation for three weeks. Can he please stay here?" Akane pleaded.

"If it is too much trouble, I will return to the Morimura mansion" Yasuaki replied as he finished his ramen and politely laid his chopsticks neatly across the rim of the cup. "Thank you Motomiya, it was delicious."

"He thinks a cup of ramen is delicious, how can we allow him to go back to that family?!" Akane questioned as she came towards him and rested her hands on Yasuaki's shoulders.

Shizuka thought carefully about the matter, yet truthfully was not convinced. Akane had only met the young man that very day and she was asking for him to live in their home. Yet something about the onmyoji tugged at the woman's heartstrings. The man was clearly not cared for properly, and his non-expressive face seemed to radiate a sense of loneliness.

"Please Yasuaki-kun, I'd be more than happy to welcome you into our home" Shizuka responded with a kind smile, Akane clapped her hands in delight.

"Aren't you happy Yasuaki-san?" Akane asked eagerly as she looked at the man with a smile.

Yasuaki stared blankly at Akane, who's smile faltered. It was almost like an accusing sort of stare as if questioning whether or not she had forgotten the terms in why he was with her.

"I truly appreciate your kindness, Motomiya-san" Yasuaki thanked, bowing his head it gratitude.

Akane realized that her question had been ignored.

---

"Yasuaki-kun really likes cleaning, doesn't he" Shizuka laughed as she made her way back up the stairs to the second floor. "Goodnight Akane! Yasuaki-kun!"

Akane was beyond grateful to have her mother head off to bed, leaving her behind to remain lounging on the couch, which looked into the kitchen. Yasuaki had offered to do the dishes and seemed to be somewhat enjoying it, much to her surprise. His face had softened considerably and his mouth was no longer set into a harsh line. Was it the simple rhythm of water washing over dishes that soothed him? Though as relaxed as he seemed, Yasuaki's eyes were heavy-lidded as if he pondered something carefully within his mind.

"Yasuaki-san?"

"Yes, Motomiya-san?"

"What are you thinking about?"

It was a simple question; Yasuaki understood that it was; yet it had always been his least favorite to answer. The young green-haired man had always found himself becoming slightly irritated with himself at never being able to properly convey to those who asked. It was his worst defect that made Yasuaki always ponder whether he was a broken creation.

"I cannot properly express it."

Akane smiled in understanding. Yasuaki had paused in his washing, yet soon continued with the task, as he looked over his shoulder at her, slightly curious as to how she would react to his lack of sharing.

"I understand! I hope that one day you'll be able to share your thoughts with me."

Yasuaki watched Akane, stunned.

"Even though I am a doll…"

"Stop that nonsense! Yasuaki-san has wants and needs just like everybody else. To me, you're already human!" Akane exclaimed with determination. "I'll make sure that you can properly express your feelings by the end of these three weeks so that you'll be able to scream out what you feel at the top of your lungs!"

Yasuaki turned away from her and focused on the dishes once more.

"You set your goals rather unrealistically."

"You bet!"

Akane smiled in silent victory as Yasuaki held back any retort and glanced up at the ceiling. Holding her hand up to the light, the teenage girl thought carefully. She saw them the whole day with Yasuaki, the briefest flecks of emotions so slightly that she had assumed she had imagined them. The feelings were there, Akane was certain of that. All she would have to do is find a way to coax them out.

Yasuaki felt nothing; he was empty of feelings as Abe no Seimei had told him. It was that aspect of his being that made him non-human. Yet one day he would certainly find the one person who could make him feel, make him whole. Akane Motomiya was a clumsy girl who possessed as much grace as a hippopotamus…and yet…she treated him with kindness…what he was most foreign to.

---

It had been a sunny humid day in Tokyo, sometime in late June and summer vacation had just started. Akane Motomiya had spent a good portion of her day running away from the girl she loathed, only to run into a new problem. Asking the doll a question as he stared down at his kakigouri had sealed her fate.

---

AN: So? What did you all think?! I'm sorry that the story got cut off, but now I updated the proper material!

Please send a review to let me know that you enjoyed this story!

Till next time


	2. Day 2: Learning the Basics

AN: Wow! Thanks you guys for all the positive support. I got more reviews than I expected to and that alone has made me very eager to continue to update more frequently! Chapter 3 is already in the works, so I'm hoping to have that up sometime before the end of the month.

Thank you again for the support and I hope that I may be able to get some beta readers as to improve the quality of the story. If interested, please do say so in a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harukanaru or its characters…quite frankly, I don't even own the games –sobs-

Words to know: Kakigouri – Japanese shaved ice, generally flavored with yummy syrups.

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Kakigouri

By Peachie-Chan

Chapter 2: Day Two – Learning the Basics

Shizuka had left early in the morning for work, leaving Akane to wake up to the bright sunshine raining through her window and the silence of an empty house. Her sleepy emerald eyes glanced over at her now dormant alarm clock resting on the nearby night table, flashing the current time.

11: 00

Akane rolled onto her side and closed her eyes as she snuggled deeper into her pleasantly warm bed once more. It was summer vacation and she could sleep in for as long as she liked.

11: 04

Akane rolled onto her back and stared up at her blank ceiling, not being able to sleep any longer. Something was nagging at her mind persistently. She gazed around her room, hoping desperately for some sort of clue to remind her of the important thing she was forgetting. And then she saw it, the clue that she had been looking for. The very sight of the doll caused her eyes to widen in realization.

The doll sat silently on the top of her dresser with its pale white skin, sea foam green hair and amber colored eyes. She could feel the name escaping her lips.

"Yasuaki," she whispered.

Akane blushed in embarrassment at having forgotten the presence of the doll in her home. She scrambled out of bed and began to scurry around the room as she pulled off clothes, ran to her dresser and chose a pair of jeans and a simple green t-shirt. The red-headed girl hardly cared how disheveled her hair was or how she appeared to be as she opened her bedroom door and bolted down the hallway to the guest room near to her own.

"Yasuaki-san?" Akane asked softly as she knocked on the door. "I'm sorry for sleeping in for so long. I honestly forgot that you were here!" she confessed as she added a nervous laugh.

Akane blinked in confusion at hearing no response.

"Yasuaki-san?"

Her hand rested lightly on the door, which surprisingly opened easily at the contact. She slowly poked her head in and found the room to be empty. Pushing the door open, Akane took the time to look around and found that she was suddenly feeling concern. The bed looked as if it hadn't been slept on. In fact, the room looked as if no one had entered it for days. A wave of panic finally set in. Where was Yasuaki?

Ran was going to skin her alive!

"Yasuaki!" Akane yelled as she ran out of the room and down the stairs, frantically searching for the green-haired doll who was nowhere to be found. Her eyes widened in realization; she needed to find the cardboard box. If the box of his belongings was still here, it meant that Yasuaki couldn't be too far away.

The bottom level of the house was empty, no evidence left behind to suggest that Yasuaki had been there the night before. What's worse, his box was missing as well.

"YASUAKI!!"

"Yes?"

Akane quickly spun around and was greeted with the sight of Yasuaki standing right before her, his stagnant figure clad in the same black yukata from the day before, the only difference now being the groceries he held in his arms. The onmyoji watched the girl with mild fascination at all the emotions that flashed across her face in the course of a few seconds; surprise, shock, relief, and finally joy. He was honestly bewildered by why Akane started the day with so many expressions. Were they all really necessary?

"Is something the matter?" Yasuaki asked as he set down the groceries down on the floor by the front door as he slipped off his boots and slid on his slippers.

"Where were you? Where's your box?" Akane asked softly, her hands fidgeting slightly in embarrassment, firstly at the fact that she questioned where his box was and then how she had been more worried about Ran brutally murdering her and then throwing her lifeless body into a raging river of death than actually caring where Yasuaki really went.

"Motomiya-san told me you'd be sleeping for a few more hours and asked me to go shopping for her," Yasuaki began uninterestingly, "The box…Motomiya-san placed my things in a closet and hid my box under the bed." He actually seemed slightly irked that his precious box had been taken away from him.

Akane stared blankly at Yasuaki.

"My mother…asked you to go shopping?"

He nodded.

All the color drained from her face, ashamed at her mother's request. What kind of a woman made a guest go shopping for her? Akane felt physically ill as she made a grab for the grocery bags and stormed off towards the kitchen, leaving Yasuaki nothing to do but follow her. As she carefully unpacked everything from the bags, Akane could only think of how much the very attractive doll, who was now sitting on the couch and staring vacantly at the ceiling, must loathe being in this house since he had done nothing but chores and errands since he got here.

"My own mother is treating him no better than Ran has!" Akane grumbled as she cleaned the refrigerator of all the spoiled items.

"You are strange," Yasuaki said as he turned around on the couch, facing the girl who was gesticulating quite vividly at the hand of tomato sauce that she held in her hand.

Akane let out a yelp as she suddenly took notice that he was watching her in a lazy sort of manner that caused her to blush in embarrassment.

"H-how so?"

"You have so many facial expressions that sometimes I can't help but wonder if you are a demon," he stated. "Have you ever considered the benefits of an exorcism?"

What frightened Akane the most about the suggestion was the sincerity that she could feel behind his words. Well…at least that proved he knew the feeling of being sincere…at the wrong time.

"I don't think an exorcism will be able to help me, Yasuaki-san" Akane began, resting a hand on her forehead, "I only think many years of therapy will help at this point."

Yasuaki pondered her words carefully as he sat down silently at the kitchen table. Akane was such a mysterious girl with unchecked emotions that he could hardly understand that he found himself grimacing in pain at the headache pounding in his head. Sucking in a breath, Yasuaki let out slowly. He was over-thinking.

Akane on her side of the room was also suffering from an aching head. Already the day was so hot that she wanted nothing more than to go to the neighborhood pool and throw herself in the cool water. If she wanted to go, she would have to take Yasuaki with her. All in all, Akane still wouldn't be able to go due to the fact he lacked any normal clothing.  Her eyes soon widened in realization. Ran had mentioned paying her for her baby-sitting…she could use that to buy Yasuaki lighter clothing. But it all came down to if she was being paid now or at the end of the week.

"I'll be right back!" Akane said quickly after having neatly put everything away. Yasuaki's dual-colored eyes watched the young woman scamper out of sight.

Akane hurriedly opened the front door and sprinted the few feet to the mailbox, nearly falling down the three front steps in the process. Luckily, she latched onto the mailbox and saved herself from having to explain her face was covered up in scratches. Regaining her balance, Akane reached her hand inside the mailbox, honestly expecting to find nothing since her mother had checked the mail the night before.

Yet, she was shocked when she pulled out a thick envelope addressed to her.

To think that selfish Ran Morimura would be generous enough to send her money in advance. In a trance-like state, Akane somehow managed to make it back inside the house without nearly killing herself. She silently sat down besides the couch besides Yasuaki and calmly set the envelope down on the low table in front of them. Even the onmyoji seemed to be entranced by the mysterious mail.

"Who sent it?"

Akane sat down on the floor, soon followed by Yasuaki, and carefully turned the envelope over, and sure enough the back of the envelope was covered in a messy scrawl, not at all like Ran's usual neat penmanship.

"Tenma Morimura," she read aloud with some difficulty as she squinted her eyes as to read the name.

Shrugging slightly, Akane hastily opened the envelope and turned it upside-down, unceremoniously dumping its contents onto the table's surface. A huge wad of cash and two letters; one no bigger than a post-it while the other appeared to be at least a few pages in length. Akane's gaze drifted up to meet Yasuaki's, who was still staring at the envelope, as if waiting for some inkling of recognition at the name.

"My mistress's brother, Tenma" Yasuaki replied finally after much delay.

Nodding in thanks, Akane folded open the smallest paper and soon felt all the blood rushing to her face. Scrunching the paper in her fist with rage, she attempted to regain her composure with much difficulty. This sudden reaction didn't stay hidden from Yasuaki, who was now watching the young woman with his composed gaze.

"Why is Motomiya-san red?" Yasuaki questioned as he calmly placed a cool hand to Akane's cheek.

Akane nearly jumped out of her skin, resulting in Yasuaki quickly recoiling his hand. His attention turned towards the table as if something about it was mildly fascinating. Akane held a hand to her heart and stared at the man, swearing she had seen something in his vacant eyes.

Blushing slightly, Akane dropped the paper in front of Yasuaki, folding it out for him.

_Here's some more money. I forgot you're poor._

_-Ran Morimura_

Yasuaki's eyes studied the paper intently and looked up at Akane.

"Motomiya-san is insulted by this? Mistress was being kind because Motomiya-san clearly is not that wealthy."

"Just because my father isn't some business tycoon doesn't mean she can make me out to be some charity case!" Akane snapped as she grabbed the paper and angrily crumpled it in her fist. The redheaded girl growled at the money on the table and resisted the urge to throw it the garbage can and set in on fire.

Grabbing the other letter Akane furiously opened it, debating whether or not to throw it into the imaginary fire that the money was already burning in. Yet her eyes widened at the unrecognizable handwriting that addressed her so nicely.

_Dear Motomiya-san,_

_Apparently my sister has taken advantage of yet another poor human being. Yasuaki, or Juria, as my sister has so kindly dubbed, was removed from the manor in Kyoto where he lived with Abe no Seimei. Can you honestly believe that that little bitch had a hissy fit so that she could have a life-size doll? Quite honestly, I was honestly glad that she found out that Yasuaki was a man. You should have seen her screaming like a banshee when she touched his chest. 'WHERE ARE HER BREASTS?!' And when Yasuaki told her that he was a man, I swear I thought a blood vessel popped in her brain._

_You're probably wondering why I find so much humor in Ran and why I even bother to write you. I wish to apologize for my sister's haughty attitude towards you. She picks on nice girls, so for her to bother you for three years proves that you must be some sort of saint._

_-Tenma_

_P.S. Take good care of Yasuaki; he may not say much, but he'll be a good friend to you._

_P.P.S He has a strange fondness for yakisoba and taiyaki._

_P.P.P.S Yasuaki has some sort of seal on him, obvious from the gray mark on his face. Ran wants you to break it. Love is supposed to do the trick, did she tell you that?_

_Don't do it, Akane. Don't teach Yasuaki about emotions or else he won't be allowed back to his home in Kyoto. He is supposed to remain pure of all our human crap or else he'll lose his onmyoji powers._

"Motomiya-san?"

Akane remained silent as she stared down at Tenma's let, not sure entirely what to think since it felt as if the letter was written by two different people. But then again, the whole thing seemed like a punishment disguised as a reward. Ran told her to break the seal on Yasuaki, yet never mentioned anything about love. Then her brother Tenma said not to break the seal, especially with love.

"Motomiya-san?" Yasuaki repeated.

Her emerald eyes locked with Yasuaki's and confusion wiped her mind clean of all other thoughts. Yasuaki was empty of feelings, not of mind. Ran and Tenma were in a sense trying to control his future, his life. Had anyone bothered to ask what Yasuaki wanted?

"What does Yasuaki-san want?" Akane asked thoughtfully as she stood up.

Yasuaki's eyes went downcast as he thought very carefully before looking back up at the girl.

"I do not understand."

Akane pushed the second letter in front of him.

"Just read it."

Yasuaki read in silence as Akane nervously paced around the couch and coffee table. If he chose not to change, then she would be off the hook. Yet…

Akane paused and stared at her guest. How could someone live happily without knowing what happiness felt like?

Another few minutes passed before Yasuaki looked up at Akane once again as he calmly folded the pages in half.

"What does Yasuaki-san want?" Akane asked again, feeling a bit redundant.

Yasuaki continued to stare impassively at her before replying.

"Whatever you request of me."

What sort of answer was that? It was as if he couldn't think for himself! Akane resisted the urge to grab Yasuaki by the shoulders and shake him. Screw both Tenma and his demonic sister; Yasuaki needed a dose of what it was like to be human.

"That's it! We're going now!"

--

Akane let out a deep cleansing breath as she breathed in the sweet summer air. All she had wanted was to spend her time at the beach or at the pool, yet here she stood in the traffic-congested commercial district, holding tightly onto Yasuaki's hand. (After that morning's scare, there was no way she was letting him wander free.) Surprisingly, Yasuaki voiced no protest at being led around like a child.

As they walked, people would stare at the beautiful man dressed like some historical character that followed a very plain looking teenage girl.

"In here," Akane said as she pulled Yasuaki into a nearby men's clothing store, where they were warmly greeted upon entering.

Akane couldn't help but blush slightly as he eyes wandered around the merchandise. This was something that she had often dreamt about. A date with a beloved boy in which they would go shopping together. He would compliment her on how cute she was, he would hold her hand, and gently stroke her hair. Of course she realized that that was hardly the current situation. Yasuaki just stood there silent as a rock, only held her hand so he wouldn't get lost, and would probably never stroke her hair because that would require thinking for himself.

Forcing down the urge to cry out, Akane carefully looked around at the summer clothes, searching for what would do the onmyoji justice.

After a few minutes of running through shelf-lined aisles, Akane realized that she was finding some enjoyment at holding up different shirts to Yasuaki's face. As she held a crimson cotton zip-up sleeveless hoodie to his face once more, she began to suspect that he was having fun as well, even if it was only visible in the softening of his hard expression.

"Red suits you great, Yasuaki-san!" Akane grinned as she draped the latest article of clothing onto her right arm, which was now covered with various t-shirts and pants.

Yasuaki stared at Akane and pointed at the pale yellow version of the hoodie.

"Does Motomiya-san like this one?"

Akane carefully studied the material and nodded.

"It can work! Now let's go see how these look," Akane replied as she struggled to reach for the addition since she was now fighting a losing battle of attempting to keep all the clothes on a single arm.

Without warning, Yasuaki took hold of the clothing and deposited the yellow hoodie into her now empty arms.

"Motomiya-san should not carry so many things."

A smile grace Akane's lips as Yasuaki relieved her of her burden. If anything, the green haired young man was proof that chivalry was not completely dead yet. As she pushed him towards the direction of the fitting rooms, all she could do was wonder if Yasuaki was created for the sole purpose of being a gentleman.

"Is Yasuaki-san a robot?" Akane found herself asking as her fingers gripped the material of the back of his yukata.

Yasuaki paused for a moment and soon replied with shaking his head.

"No, I am just a doll."

His tone, even though flat, seemed to convey the message that she should drop the subject. Akane sighed and released Yasuaki; he couldn't even take a joke.

"How many?"

Akane made her way around Yasuaki and smiled slightly at the young woman working the fitting rooms. The woman eyed Akane and found herself groaning as she caught sight of the mountain of clothing that Yasuaki held in his arms.

"I'll assume its gonna take you both a while…"

Akane let out a nervous laugh.

"You can't leave men to shop on their own!"

Akane wished she hadn't spoken because now the way the woman looked at her made her wish that she hadn't spoken.

"Follow me please"

Twirling the keys on her index, the woman led us both to the nearest fitting room, which she quickly unlocked. She silently ushered Yasuaki inside and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Akane to stare down at Yasuaki's boots that were visible beneath. She wasn't feeling quite comfortable with the woman staring at her with such a critical eye. It was as if she was trying to assess the relationship between the two.

"Just tell me if you need anything," The woman smiled before sauntering off, giving me a dirty look as she went.

Akane felt her cheeks reddening with embarrassment as she hugged the hoodie tightly to her chest.

"Motomiya-san?" Yasuaki called slightly.

"Yeah?"

"What do I do?"

Akane felt her cheeks reddening more at the innocence behind the question. How could she possibly begin to explain it to him? 'Yasuaki, you need to take off your clothes for starters.' Oh yes, asking for clothes to be removed would be a lovely think to tell him. It was a struggle for her to open her mouth and attempt to voice out the instructions. Except Akane was now running a blank when she realized what taking clothes off actually meant.

It meant more of Yasuaki's delicate pale white skin would be exposed. A shirtless Yasuaki would be behind that door.

Akane wanted to die of shame for thinking what would be going on behind that door.

"Y-Y-Yasuaki-san needs to dress in the clothes in there…"

Yasuaki didn't respond, but Akane nearly screamed when she heard the sound of him undoing the sash of his yukata, the material slowly falling to the floor. Thankfully it came out as a little croak as she quickly turned away from the door and stalked her way over towards seats on the opposite wall. Sitting down, the young woman needed to bury her head in the yellow hoodie to hide her bright red face.

It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair! Why did Abe no Seimei need to create such a beautiful man?

"Motomiya-san…"

Akane slowly looked up and suppressed a laugh as she held the hoodie to her mouth, hoping it would at least stifle the laughter that would soon appear. Yasuaki came out of the dressing room looking like someone who lost a battle with a closet. He wore a red t-shirt backwards, an inside out orange jacket and a pair of blue slacks. What was worse, it appeared as though Yasuaki's bun seemed to not have faired well against being shoved into a shirt and now had become rather messy and a bit crooked.

"Do you need some help?" Akane asked as she pulled down the clothing from her mouth, smiling in delight.

Yasuaki gave one firm nod.

"I should've guessed," Akane laughed as she made her way over towards Yasuaki and lightly patted his head. "Let me help" she added as she guided him back towards the fitting room.

Baby-sitting an onmyoji truly wasn't easy.

--

Vacations weren't supposed to be stressful, yet here was Akane, propped up against a tree out of breath and surrounded by a dozen multi-colored shopping bags. Her red hair was matted against her sweat-coated face, that every so often, she would need to brush her hair back. It was hot, far too hot to be considered pleasurable.

Cool moistened glass was suddenly pressed to Akane's forehead, resulting in her opening her eyes to look up at Yasuaki. His expression was as cold as the glass bottle of ramune that was being held to her head. Yasuaki at least now appeared to be dressed in a much refreshing manner, and that alone made Akane feel better. He now wore a simple pair of tan cargo pants that fell right above his knee, a black tank top was visible beneath the crimson sleeveless hoodie (which she was rather fond of), and his black boots. All in all, Yasuaki was now dressed to kill and it would only be a matter of time before women started throwing themselves at his feet.

"Thank you Yasuaki-san!" Akane exclaimed as she took hold of the ramune.

Yasuaki looked down at his own drink and silently took a sip after following Akane's example as she guzzled down the cold soda.

"Aaah" she sighed with content. "That tasted great!"

Akane was about to say more, yet she was rudely interrupted by the by having her stomach let out an unattractive growl. She could feel all the blood rushing to her head as Yasuaki stared down at her.

"Sorry…" Akane mumbled as she fixed her eyes on her shoes, not wanting to meet his gaze.

Yasuaki tentatively placed a hand over his own stomach.

"Is Yasuaki-san hungry too?" she asked hopefully.

"Mondai nai."

"Don't be silly," Akane protested as she took hold of Yasuaki's hand and the shopping bags, "Clearly we're both hungry."

The young woman scanned the street and then pointed at a nearby shop.

"There!"

Across the street, by pure chance was a noodle shop. Akane would never admit it she planned the coincidence, but she was pleased with her sudden stroke of good luck. Tenma had mentioned in his letter that Yasuaki liked yakisoba. That meant that the fried noodles in a sense made him happy. Happiness was a basic emotion.

"Noodles?"

Without warning, Akane pulled Yasuaki swiftly across the street and into the noodle shop. The décor was traditional and the shop seemed to only be frequented by the people from the neighborhood. Silently Akane sat down at a stool facing a counter and the open kitchen; Yasuaki soon followed her example. An elderly man slowly made his way towards the two of them, obviously being the one running the shop.

"What? Another couple? I suppose that's normal, seeing as we are so close to Tanabata."

Akane wanted to die of mortification, preferably melt into a liquid form and disappear beneath the cracks of the wooden floor. What's worse was that Yasuaki just sat, no hint of embarrassment evident on his face. Did he even understand what the man was suggesting?

"What can I get you two?"

"Yakisoba."

Yasuaki had spoken up for himself, it was almost as if it was an impulse.

"And for the young lady?"

"Yakisoba…"

The noodle shop owner chuckled in delight as he scurried around the kitchen, preparing the meal for the two of them. He made sure to leave the two love birds alone, he assumed couples these days didn't like to being bothered by pestering old men anyways.

Akane hesitantly reached out her hands and placed them on Yasuaki's cheeks, forcing him to meet her eye. Yasuaki's face was as calm and collective as ever, making the eighteen year old envious of the man's skill of remaining calm in any situation. Her hands slowly trailed down his jaw line and seemed to freeze when she neared his lips. She somehow felt that this was illegal; it felt that way anyway. Swallowing her embarrassment, Akane slowly guided Yasuaki's lips into a small smile with her fingers. She then made him frown and finished with making him grin.

"There are basic emotions, Yasuaki-san," Akane explained slowly, unsure exactly the best way to explain what she was trying to convey. " Joy, anger, sadness, and anxiety are some of them." She dropped her hands and turned away from him and focused her attention on the counter. Akane couldn't help but feel slightly awkward about the whole situation. She never once had lunch with a boy, and here she was trying to tell the silent doll what she was feeling. "I consider Yasuaki-san to be my friend…and as my friend…I want to teach you all there is to know about being human. I'm not sure I can break the seal on you, but I'll try my best!"

"Noodles are done!" The old man exclaimed as he finished preparing their food and set one large plate of yakisoba in front of the two.

Akane's eyes widened in surprised.

"You both look very close, so I took the liberty of placing both your orders on the same plate!" The old man chuckled as he retreated towards the back room. "Enjoy!"

She stared blankly down at the fried noodles, wondering if the old man assumed that they were going to recreate the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp with yakisoba. Yasuaki hardly seemed affected by this, evident as he dug hungrily into the mound of noodles with his chopsticks. Akane's stomach let out another growl. She was hungry and who really cared about sharing a plate anyway?

Yasuaki watched as Akane began to dig in as well.

"Mondai nai…just as long as Motomiya-san tries her best," Yasuaki suddenly replied.

Akane was stunned by Yasuaki's words, that she almost questioned whether she had heard him correctly or not. She knew the green haired man wasn't going to repeat what he had said and something about that brought a smile to her face.

Tenma's urgings against Yasuaki's humanity was as pointless as Ran's request to make him human. Akane Motomiya would do what she could to break the seal on Abe no Yasuaki, and not because she was paid to. She was doing this on her own terms and because she wished to do so. Even though she had known him for a mere day and a half, Akane felt as if a bond had formed between her and Yasuaki.

"Alright! Yasuaki-san, show me a happy face!" Akane chirped eagerly as she awaited his display.

Yasuaki stared at her with serious eyes.

"I do not understand."

The young woman nearly fell off her stool in disappointment.

"I guess even the basics can't be learned in a day…"

--

To be continued…

AN: Opinions? Questions? Reviews would be greatly appreciated!


	3. Day 3: The Summoning of Ryujin

AN: Puun~! It feels like I haven't touched this story in a while, when in reality I have been poking at it for months. The truth is…I got stuck. You see during the time I was writing chapter 3, I broke up with my boyfriend, fell in love, got heartbroken, got back together with my ex, graduated high school, began going to college, then broke up again with the bastard, and the started going out with someone new who makes me very happy and squeal like a little idiot whenever I'm with him!  
Well, I just ended spring semester and finished writing the chapter last night, even though it's much shorter than the last two. Not to worry though, the length will be longer next chapter, I promise.

Thank you for all the support you guys have given me.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harukanaru or its characters…quite frankly; I don't even own the games –sobs-

Words to know: Kakigouri – Japanese shaved ice, generally flavored with yummy syrups.

---

Kakigouri

By Peachie-chan

Chapter 3: Day 3-The Summoning of Ryujin

"How does Yasuaki-san feel?" Akane asked as she looked up from her notepad and pen.

Yasuaki looked down at his exposed limbs and then around at his current environment. Both he and Akane were sitting on the shaded steps on a hill leading up to a Shinto shrine. The path was lined with large trees with large leafy branches that kept them protected from the blinding summer sun, trees that no doubt produced beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring. The onmyoji focused on the constant flow of people coming and going from the shrine, a place that seemed to be quite popular and would most likely be packed on the night of the Tanabata festival.

"The same. Nothing."

Akane let out a soft sigh and closed the notepad, stashing the pen in the pocket of her cream-colored shorts. Yasuaki seemed to pass the time at staring at her red and white striped tank top that she wore; and yes, she had gotten used to the onmyoji staring at her articles of clothing. Today Akane had tied her cropped red hair back into two messy pigtails, all for the sake of allowing even the tiniest gusts of wind to cool the back of her neck. Yasuaki thought it strange that she had attempted to style her hair when she had always left it alone...in fact, he found himself wishing the she had left her hair down, as he preferred it that way.

"Yasuaki-san?"

Having his name being called brought Yasuaki out of his daze and focused once more on the girl sitting beside him.

"Yes, Motomiya-san?"

The young woman's eyes fell downcast, finding herself unable to look at the onmyoji.

"Maybe...my method is just not working."

"I suppose that then makes you useless," Yasuaki replied, a hint of harshness evident in his voice.

Akane felt her cheeks burning red in shame as her vision blurred with the formation of tears that threatened to fall. Even though she and Yasuaki sat mere inches away from each other, it felt as if there was a massive brick wall between them. Did he know how hard she was trying? Did he know or even understand what it felt like to be called useless?

"Well maybe if Yasuaki-san was TRYING to be a bit more receptive to my attempts and maybe if he TRIED harder, I wouldn't be so useless!" Akane spat bitterly as sprang up to her feet and ran up the steps to the shrine, hurriedly wiping the tears from her eyes.

Yasuaki watched the teenager run away, perplexed by her behavior. Abe no Seimei had taught him that honesty was a very important quality in a human being. Had he not just been honest with Akane? From his previous knowledge, one was usually commended when they told the truth, no matter how harsh. Yes, Yasuaki found no fault in his own actions; it was clearly the fault of the strange young woman. How he regretted not having his talismans and ceremonial beads! If the onmyoji had these in his possession, extracting the demon that seemed to have possessed Akane would be child's play.

---

Faster and faster, Akane ran up the steps, whimpers escaping her lips as she tripped several times on her way toward the top. Yasuaki did not need to be so cruel. The day before he had said that as long as she tried her best, he would accept that. Now his words had done a complete 180.

Akane rubbed her eyes free from tears as she made her way up to the shrine and tossed in some spare change she found in her pocket. Standing on the tips of her feet, she rang the bell and then clapped her hands as she closed her eyes. Much to her own displeasure, Akane found herself sympathizing with Ran's decision with locking the doll in the closet.

"Please Kami-sama, please allow Yasuaki to grow as a human being and to experience emotions and all the other things that would make him a better person!"

An ear splitting scream erupted from the back of the small temple, causing Akane to slowly open her eyes in confusion. Such a reaction never happened when one usually prayed for something. Letting out a sigh, she allowed her own curiosity to get the better of her, and cautiously wandered round toward the back end of the shrine. Akane kept her distance as she pressed herself against the wall, her eyes wide in surprise at the sight she found.

A business man with beautiful cerulean hair cascading down his back and dressed in an elegant back suit was watching a group of boys, who were all huddled around a beautiful petite girl with brilliant violet hair that was quite long, holding her foot in what looked like agony.

"Might I ask what happened to Fuji-hime?" The business man drawled, his voice seemed as smooth as silk an caused butterflies to feel as if they were fluttering in Akane's stomach. "I leave for two minutes and it appears as if the hachiyou have injured their beloved and sacred miko~"

"I-I'm fine Tomomasa-sama!" The cute girl named Fuji replied sheepishly as she massaged her injured ankle. The girl surely was no older than eleven years old, yet she held herself with a sense of grace of a woman beyond her years.

Tomomasa slowly approached the group, his face still unknown to Akane, knelt beside the girl he addressed as princess, no doubt inspecting the severity of the injury.

"Mmmm~ Hime-sama, I'm afraid that you won't be able to perform at the festival with that ankle. Would someone like to explain how this happened?"

"Sefuru did it!"

"We saw him trip Fuji!"

A blond boy with shoulder length hair scowled angrily at the other members of the group.

"He's a demon! All he does is slack off and blame us for all his problems!"

A meek boy who looked no older than fourteen with bright blue eyes and and short curled golden blond hair stood in front of the boy named Sefuru.

"Se-Sefuru-kun isn't a demon!" The boy cried out, meek as he was, it was rather adorable to watch. "I'm sure it was an accident, right Sefuru-kun?"

Sefuru could not tolerate the accusing glares from his dance troop mates and screamed at the top of his lungs as he roughly shoved the boy defending him to the ground. Akane winced at the action and was glad that this was causing an uproar as some of the boys helped the meek one off the ground. Though while she innocently watched the scene, Akane was unaware of the fact that she was under the stealthy glance of one Tachibana Tomomasa.

"You think I need this crap? I have a whole list of other things I would rather be doing than hanging around a bunch of pig-headed bastards!" Sefuru screamed at all the the children before turning his attention at the boy who had defended him. "And the last thing I need is to be defended by a crybaby goody two-shoes like you, Shimon!"

Sefuru pushed past everyone and ran off muttering obscenities under his breath as he passed by Akane.

"What are we going to do now?!"

"We're missing a hachiyou!"

"Forget that, our miko's hurt!"

Akane frowned slightly as she placed a finger to her chin in thought. Those kids truly were in deep with their troubles.

Tomomasa silently snuck behind the young woman and enveloped her in his arms, the small yelp that escaped her lips caused him to smirk in delight.

"Yasuaki?" Akane asked hopefully.

The red-headed girl was probably setting her wishes too highly at this point and she knew that. Yasuaki had no desires whatsoever, meaning that impulses were beyond his comprehension of knowing. Still, Akane found herself wishing that the arms holding her belonged to the doll under her care.

"Yasuaki?" Tomomasa chuckled in Akane's ear as he tightened his grip on her gently. "By any chance is that the man that has so rudely stolen this beautiful princess away from me?"

"Tomomasa-sama!" Fuji shrieked, her face bright red in embarrassment, "What are you doing to that girl?!"

Tomomasa smiled against Akane's neck, resulting in her realizing that the one holding her was the beautiful businessman. Akane's face darkened in embarrassment.

The man was clearly a flirt!

"It appears that I have been found out!" Tomomasa sighed as he pulled Akane out in the open with him. "I merely found a lovely little bird peeping, Fuji-hime, and I could not resist~"

Akane's limbs felt limp as she blushed as red as a tomato at the nine pairs of eyes staring curiously at her.

"I...I just wanted to see if whoever was hurt needed help!" Akane croaked awkwardly as she struggled slightly to wiggle out of the man's grasp.

Tomomasa's smile widened suddenly as a thought came to mind. This girl had no doubt been questioning what she could do to help out, otherwise she would not have stuck around for as long as she did. Yes, this cute girl could be of some use to him, after all, he had wanted to scrap the whole dance and the hachiyou anyway.

"What a giving nature you have~" he purred.

Akane feared that her face would explode if she continued to blush so violent.

"Can you please let me go?"

"Under one condition."

"Yes?"

"Be the Ryujin no Miko. As you can see, Fuji-hime is in no condition to perform, and I'm sure that if an adorable girl like you took her place and were to perform the part, I'm sure you'd be praised."

"Tomomasa-sama, are you insane? How can you be so selfish as to ask that of a stranger?!" Fuji protested as she struggled to get up. "I am fine! Asking her is not necessary!"

Fuji was hardly convincing as she wobbled where she stood.

"Fuji-chan! Sit down, you'll hurt your ankle more if you don't!"

Akane felt the pressure building over her head. How could merely watching an event cause her to be brought into the issue and now she was being asked to be a miko?

"But...I don't know how to dance! I have absolutely no sense of rhythm!" Akane babbled as she tried to pry Tomomasa's arms off of her.

"That's fine, my dear," Tomomasa said with such a warm smile it caused Akane to groan, "You see, I'm going to scrap the dance since you'll be my Ryujin no Miko. Fuji-hime and the boys are too young to perform the actual ceremony. But with you, no dancing will be needed."

As Tomomasa blew playfully at her ear, Akane felt like she was going to pass out in embarrassment if this were to continue. Where was Yasuaki? Did he run away back to Ran and Tenma?

Tomomasa's eyes widened slightly as he felt a small gust of wind fly past his ear. He let out a sigh of annoyance as he slowly turned to see who had so rudely interrupted his fun.

A peculiar young man with long emerald-colored hair and dual colored eyes eyed him with a cool expression that seemed to have many other emotions buried beneath the one he wore. There were several small pebbles in his hand, probably as a sign of warning that he would throw another. Though what intrigued Tomomasa most about the young stranger was the odd gray mark that marred the man's flawless face and the sparrow that rested on his shoulder.

"Release Motomiya-san."

Akane's eyes widened as she recognized the voice which had uttered the command. Forcing Tomomasa to turn around with her, she could not help but smile in delight.

"Yasuaki-san!" Akane exclaimed with delight.

Tomomasa's grip tightened slightly, a playful smile gracing his lips.

"So this is Yasuaki, must say that you are a quite beautiful young man."

Fuji and the boys each would have liked nothing more than to smash their heads against the ground. At times, Tomomasa was a pleasure to be around, having such a successful entrepreneur fund and direct their performance was an honor. Though when attractive people were concerned, be them man or woman, he had a knack of acting stupidly in their opinions.

Yasuaki remained silent as he calculated the man's next move.

"Just let her go, Tomomasa-sama," Fuji groaned.

"I'll let the princess go under one condition~"

"Being?"

"At the Tanabata festival, we are planning on having a recreation of the ceremony to summon the god, Ryujin. Seeing that I've ensnared a girl of the proper age in my arms, I'd like to have her be my miko. Seeing as she seems rather fond of you, I'd like you to play the part of one of her loyal hachiyou. Deal?"

Yasuaki's cold eyes glared at Tomomasa.

"I am familiar with the tale of the Ryujin no Miko and her hachiyou, so I know you are at least speaking honestly at the very least...deal."

"Excellent! Practice begins tomorrow, Miko~ I'll see if I can find you some properly suited hachiyou," Tomomasa whispered huskily into Akane's ear.

Without warning, Tomomasa released her from his grasp and lightly pushed her into Yasuaki's awaiting arms.

"What is the miko's name?"

"Akane Motomiya," Yasuaki responded as he gently held her close.

Akane's eyes went wide at the impulse. For a few moments she remained pressed against Yasuaki's chest, her face not any less red than when Tomomasa held her. What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to hug the doll back? Well...it wasn't as if he was really hugging her, more like holding her against his body...kinda possessively...but maybe she was imagining that. After all, Akane was convinced that Yasuaki knew nothing of selfishness or jealousy. Soon she found her hand in Yasuaki's larger one and she was being led away from the scene, confused still at what had just happened.

"Miko-dono, remember you have practice tomorrow~" Tomomasa smiled as he waved before turning his attention back toward the children with a wide smile. "Now...you are no longer needed. Please go and do those childish things that children do when they are given a summer free of responsibility."

Nearly all the children ran off and screamed with delight. The only two that remained were both Fuji and Shimon who appeared as if they had only the performance to live for.

Tomomasa leaned in close and delicately kissed the girl's head .

"Maa~ I do not love you any less, Fuji-hime, even if you cannot perform."

At this Fuji smiled slightly.

Turning his attention to the boy, he lightly patted his head.

"Shimon-kun can be a hachiyou~"

---

The tale of the Ryujin no Miko and her loyal hachiyou was one story that every child was supposed to know by heart. A young woman from a strange land appeared in times of trouble, destined to save the land from disaster, protected by eight guardians of heaven and earth who each loved her.

Akane sat awestruck as she stared at her strawberry parfait. She was going to be playing the role of miko and she was still confused as how that even happened. Yasuaki silently ate his banana split sundae, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular. He ignored the fact that he had called Akane useless and had then got her messed up in a performance.

"So...Yasuaki-san...you're good with animals?"

The only way to resolve any issue between them had to start with a simple conversation.

Yasuaki looked up at Akane for a moment before looking back down at his frozen treat as if contemplating what to say.

"Yes."

Akane's face fell. The doll clearly wasn't skilled in keeping a conversation going.

"Ehh...how did you get the bird to go on your shoulder? I had no idea that you could so easily tame an animal like that."

The lack of reply was beyond disheartening. Yasuaki only seemed interested in eating his ice cream and ignoring her completely.

"I asked it a question."

Akane's bright green eyes quickly flicked up and met Yasuaki's as he idly stirred the sundae with his spoon.

A response was good.

"What did you ask it?" Akane asked eagerly.

The question itself was odd, but passing up the opportunity would be a horrible mistake. It was impossible to talk to animals, that was common sense. Yes, she would humor the onmyoji and lead him into a situation in which he would have no choice but to acknowledge her questions.

"I wanted to know where Motomiya-san ran off to. I found the sparrow and asked if he had seen you. He did and led me straight towards you."

Akane's eyes remained wide in awe, watching Yasuaki as he ate a piece of a banana, intrigued by its flavor mixed with the ice cream. Sensing her gaze, Yasuaki scooped up a small portion of chocolate ice cream and held it out to the girl across from him.

"Did you want some?"

"Ah-"

Without warning, Yasuaki popped his spoon into Akane's surprised mouth. Her cheeks went beet red in shock as the doll carefully removed the spoon and went back to eating as if nothing had happened. Not only had Yasuaki stunned her with possibly feeling jealous, selfish, and concerned, but now even more with the sudden indirect kiss!

"Y-yasuaki-san!" she stammered.

"Yes?"

The blank expression on the onmyoji's face confirmed Akane's suspicious that he had no clue of the relevance of his actions. She felt foolish for even feeling excitement.

"Thank you..." Akane mumbled.

"Mondai nai," Yasuaki replied.

Akane found the signature motto was beginning to grind on her nerves.

"What am I supposed to do as the Ryujin no Miko?"

Hopefully asking a question about something Yasuaki was knowledgeable about would open some normal dialogue.

"Probably nothing useful. Tomomasa probably knows not enough about the true ceremony to perform it correctly," Yasuaki explained mildly, "Now that I think about it, Motomiya-san was not chosen by Ryujin himself, therefore making you not really the miko."

"Yasuaki-san is the world's most accomplished pessimist," Akane pouted in defeat.

"I am unfamiliar with that word." he replied honestly as he spooned some vanilla ice cream. "I am merely stating the reality of the matter."

The high school student learned to quickly tune the doll out and merely stare. If she focused more on the emerald haired man's beauty, it made being in his company all the more bearable. Akane found that in a café scenario, she could easily imagine Yasuaki as a university student that had asked her out for ice cream. He wouldn't fumble over the words of his confession, nor blush in embarrassment for he was confident that his feelings would come across strong.

"Motomiya-san?"

Akane blinked and laughed insecurely as was brought out of her daydream.

"Yes Yasuaki-san?"

His dual colored eyes looked deeply into her eyes as he gracefully lifted his hand and poked her forehead with his index finger.

"To perform the role of Ryujin no Miko, the miko must be completely pure of all evil. From your sluggish actions, dazed expressions, and slow reactions, I am convinced that you are possessed by a demon of sloth."

That was new.

With little to no warning, Akane shoveled down her parfait, Yasuaki merely watched on with the same unreadable face as always.

"Punishment!" Akane cried out as she reached across the table, took the spoon from his the onmyoji's hand, and fed herself some of his ice cream.

"I was mistaken...it was a demon of gluttony."

---

To be Continued...

AN: Once again! I apologize for my delay and pray that I still have some reviewers still following this story. Please make this poor writer happy and write a review ; m ;


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